Govt procures motorbikes for firefighting in markets

The government has procured 10 motorbikes for firefighting in markets and other congested areas.

The motorbikes, fitted with water tanks and hoses, will make it easier for personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) to access markets during fire outbreaks and also avoid the vehicular traffic that usually impedes the movement of fire tenders and prevents personnel from responding on time.

At a demonstration in Accra on Friday on the effectiveness of the motorbikes in firefighting, the Vice President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, said the congestion in some of the country’s cities and towns made the procurement of the motorbikes imperative.

He observed that in Ghana, many structures had been built in pathways, and said he welcomed any innovation which would make all areas accessible in the event of a fire.

A Deputy Chief Fire Officer and Director of Operations of the GNFS, Dr Albert Brown Gaisie, gave hints of the procurement of more motorbikes in the near future, saying the 10 motorbikes recently procured were being used on “a pilot basis.”

“It is essential for us to use these motorbikes to make us effective in our work,” he said.

Also on display at the ceremony was the Carmichael Avertis Tactical Response Vehicle (CATRV) which is used in fighting fire.

Demonstrating the use of the vehicle, the Sales Director of Carmichael, Mr Brian Wiggins, said the vehicle had been introduced into the Ghanaian market as a solution to the problems of loss of property through fire, which had become common in the country in recent times.

He said Ghana had peculiar challenges with regard to firefighting such as heavy vehicular traffic and congestion, and said the CATRV was the solution to the problem of fire officers failing to arrive on time to put fires out.